


A child's curiosity

by sarcasmismyweapon



Series: Learning Curve [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: ANBU - Freeform, ANBU Kakashi, Adorable, Banter, Cute Iruka, Fluff, Life lessons fic, Mentioned Canon characters, Mentioned OC's - Freeform, Pre-Genin, Pre-genin Iruka
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-04-08 03:50:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14096586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarcasmismyweapon/pseuds/sarcasmismyweapon
Summary: Iruka has had a question on his mind for a while, but just hasn't been sure how to go about asking it. Finally after so many torturous days of it plaguing his mind the boy gets up the courage to ask his ANBU. Kakashi is wholly unprepared for what the boy asks him and has to roll with the punches. Not to mention face the cold reality that Iruka is going to grow up.This is  Life Lessons Fic, please read that before reading this, though I suppose you could read this out of context if you really had too.





	A child's curiosity

**Author's Note:**

> For those of you who are new to my works, please check out Life Lessons first, it is the story that leads up to this fic.
> 
> Okay so I'm going to be posting my regular chapter on Monday like usual, but this weeks chapter is just so damn dark that I felt that I needed to give you guys something cute. So here is my attempt at making up for all the angst that is headed your way in the main story. Enjoy!

  
Iruka tilted his head as he thought about the fact that he hadn’t yet figured out the mystery before him. He’d been thinking about it for a while, but hadn’t yet found the right words to ask the question that had been plaguing his mind for a while. Sighing the pre-genin stared out the window a moment to try and clear his head only to jerk to attention when he heard his name called. He smiled impishly at his sensei who had his brow raised.  
“Care to answer the question Iruka?”  
Iruka glanced towards the blackboard and sighed, he’d been zoning out for the last half of the lesson. The writing on the board was about trajectory, something that he still sucked at. At least he’d had some lesson’s from Wolf and Raccoon about it, but he still couldn’t get it right.  
“Uh...Forty degree’s?”  
His teacher sighed as some of his classmates giggled. Iruka slumped in his seat as heat rushed to his cheeks at having guessed wrong by the reactions of his classmates. His sensei gave him a look that spoke both of his displeasure of Iruka not paying attention and a bit of sympathy for how his classmates were laughing.  
“Alright class that’s enough.” He turned his attention back to Iruka. “Try to pay attention alright?”  
Iruka gave a small nod and waited until his classmates were once more facing forward to sigh and slump even more at his desk. Trying desperately to dissapear. He glared over the rim of his desk when Mizuki had twisted around and shook his head at him. Iruka was tempted to kick the other boys chair from behind, but dreaded what would happen afterwards. He didn’t want to draw anymore attention to himself and he really didn’t want to deal with Mizuki’s temper after school. Letting out the pent up frustration in a the form of a deep sigh Iruka twisted his head once more to stare out the window. He still had something on his mind and for Iruka it seemed much more important than knowing how to mentally account for the trajectory of his own weapons.

*********************

Kakashi tucked his book away when he heard the tell tale sounds of Iruka racing through the training field. The boy would no doubt be rounding the corner about...Now. Smirking to himself the ANBU waited to see if the boy would notice him or not. They’d been working on the boys ability to find other people who were hidden, the games of hide and seek had been enlightening if nothing else. Something about forcing Shikaku to go hide in the woods was just amusing to him, though by the sounds of things the shadow user was getting enough abuse from his wife about it too. He smirked to himself at the thought of Himiko teasing the shadow user about playing hide and seek at his age, shaking his head he mentally reminded himself to ask the man about that. Gazing down towards the ground Kakashi smirked as he watched Iruka glance this way and that in search of him, it wouldn’t be long before Iruka would call out to him and demand that he show himself. The boy only had so much patience after all and no matter how many matches of shoji he played with Himiko the boy’s patience had a limit. Sure enough he saw Iruka huff before folding his arms over his chest in what Kakashi considered the boys pouting pose. Any minute now the boy would resort to shouting out at him.

Iruka twisted this way and that in search of Wolf, he knew the teen had to be around. If he had a mission he left a note or sent Raccoon to tell him about it. He never kept him waiting unless he was doing what Iruka figured he was doing right now. Hiding. Sighing he glanced this way and that in search of the elusive ANBU, it was a lot different playing the game with someone like Wolf or Raccoon than with kids his own age. He’d already told them that they cheated, but the pair just laughed and told him to search harder. Giving a huff of frustration Iruka folded his arms over his chest, about to give in and shout for the teen. He paused just before the words left his mouth, his mind thinking about a way to fish the ANBU out. Raccoon had been teaching him about how to flush one’s enemy out of hiding, would it work on Wolf? Letting his arms fall to his sides, Iruka tilted his head a moment as he contemplated what he was going to do. Nodding his head Iruka walked forward towards an outcropping of bushes as if he had seen something. Truthfully there was nothing there, but it was all a part of his ingenious plan.

Kakashi tilted his head as he watched Iruka walk away from the center of their meeting place and towards some bushes. What was the boy doing? Sitting up straight on the branch he’d been balancing on, the ANBU twisted his head this way and that to try and catch a glimpse of whatever it was the boy was seeing. As far as the teen could gather there wasn’t anything there that should have garnered the boys attention. Frowning the ANBU leaned forward a hair and watched as Iruka walked into the bushes only to disappear from his range of sight, sighing the ANBU sat back. Iruka would return when he found out that he was wrong about where he was hiding. Any minute now the boy would trounce back into the field and shout for him to come out. Yet the boy didn’t return right away. Soon one minute became two and then three. Kakashi glared in the direction the boy had gone, his eyes falling to where the boy had discarded his backpack before venturing into the bushes. The bushes the boy had ventured into lead into the first cropping of trees that reached further outwards into the woods that skirted the boundaries of the village. The wall that circled their village was still intact in this area, but Kakashi wouldn’t put it past someone like Iruka to find a crack large enough to fit through. The boy was still small for his age after all, giving a sigh the ANBU jumped down from his perch.  
Landing on the grass Kakashi walked past the boys backpack without another glance towards it and made his way to the bushes. Pushing them aside as he walked in order to hopefully get a glance at the missing pre-genin. He was moments from calling out to the boy in the hopes of having him run back to him when he stumbled. His gaze zeroed in on his ankle just in time to see the wire sinch tightly around his limb, eyes widening Kakashi made the motion to slash the wire with the kunai he always had within easy reach. Grunting as he fell to the ground before he could slash the wire free, the ANBU was twisting aside prepared to take on his attacker wherever they might be when he heard laughter. Sighing Kakashi let his head thump into the dirt and lowered the weapon.  
“You’re lucky I didn’t throw this at you.” He growled.  
The small figure he’d been in search of sat down next to him, head tilted in a curious manner. “Thought you’d free yourself first.”  
Kakashi shook his head. “Nah best to be able to move, you only take on your attacker as a last resort to freeing yourself.”  
Iruka gave a nod before smiling at the ANBU. “But I still got you.”  
Kakashi snorted. “What you almost got was a kunai.”  
Iruka pouted back at him. Kakashi sighed. “It was a good attempt, just don’t do that to me or Raccoon alright? It’s dangerous if we’re not expecting it.”  
Iruka huffed once more before falling back into the grass beside his ANBU. Kakashi tilted his masked face to the side to take in the boys appearance. Iruka was still frowning, though his gaze was focused on the clouds above them. Kakashi was about to apologize, though he wasn’t exactly sure why he should. He hadn’t meant to upset the boy by warning him from what he’d done, but there was a part of him that had been frozen in fear when he’d realized what he’d almost done. Iruka wouldn’t have stood a chance against Kakashi throwing a weapon at him. The thought of injuring the boy even if it was a mistake tightened the ANBU’s throat uncomfortably.  
“Iruka.” He started.  
“I got caught daydreaming at school today.” The boy mentioned as he interjected the ANBU.  
“Daydreaming?”  
Iruka nodded.  
“About what?”  
Iruka scrunched up his face a moment, making Kakashi smirk beneath his mask. “C’mon you can tell me.”  
Iruka twisted his face to the side so the pair were staring eye to eye. “I have a question.”  
“Shoot.”  
“It’s...Strange though.”  
Kakashi laughed. “Those are the best kind.”  
Iruka smiled back at the ANBU.  
“So what is it?” Kakashi pressed when it became apparent that the boy wasn’t going to just ask his question.  
Iruka stared back at the teen before him, biting his lip a moment before stating. “I don’t want you to get mad.”  
Kakashi snorted. “I doubt that you could say something to make me mad Iruka. Let alone ask a question that would.”  
“But-.”  
“Just ask.” Kakashi chuckled.  
Iruka sighed. “H-How come-.” The boy paused once more as he stared into the ANBU mask staring back at him. “How come you only have one eye?”  
Kakashi blinked surprised by the sudden question. In truth he’d figured that the boy hadn’t cared about the fact that he had only ‘visible’ eye, but apparently he’d been wrong. Knowing Iruka like he did though Kakashi figured it was only from curiosity rather than disgust, or so he hoped.  
“Does it matter?” He questioned back.  
Iruka snorted and shook his head with a smile. Kakashi smiled beneath his mask.  
“Your just curious huh?”  
Iruka sat up on his elbows and stared back at the ANBU. “Did you get hurt in a battle?”  
Kakashi chuckled at the boys apparent enthusiasm to figure out his secret. “Yeah.” He replied. ‘A battle that I should have never gotten my teammates involved in.’ Swallowing against his tightening throat the teen spoke to the boy who was staring back at him curiously. “I wasn’t the only one who got hurt.” He admitted. “But yeah I-My eye was damaged.”  
Iruka frowned a moment before speaking a less vibrant tone. “Did you get them back...The people who hurt you?”  
Kakashi snorted. “Yeah, I got them back.”  
Iruka smirked down at him. “Good.”  
Kakashi chuckled, sometimes he forgot how easily Iruka could see the world in shades of black and white.  
“Wolf?”  
“Hmm?”  
“Izumo would bother me if I didn’t ask.”  
Kakashi snorted. “Ask what?” He knew this had to be good if it had to do with Iruka’s friends, especially that particular boy.  
Iruka sighed. “Do you have a hole in your head?”  
Kakashi laughed loudly startling the boy beside him, Iruka tilted his head as he watched his ANBU laugh so uproariously because of his question. It brought a smile to his face before too long the boy was laughing beside his ANBU.  
“A hole?” Kakashi gasped in between chuckles. “God where do you kids get this?”  
Iruka sighed. “Your not much older than us.” He pouted.  
“Old enough.” Kakashi retorted. “And you can tell Izumo that I do not in fact have a hole in my head.”  
Iruka smiled. “ I didn’t think so either.”  
“Sure you didn’t.” Kakashi taunted.  
Iruka shoved the teen’s shoulder causing Kakashi to chuckle at the put out childs pouting face.  
“Alright alright you didn’t think that.” He waved a hand at the pre-genin who huffed back at him.  
Iruka laid back into the grass, curled up on his side and facing Wolf. The ANBU had his head tilted to the side while laying on his back.  
“Did it hurt?” Came the sudden question.  
Kakashi snorted. “I don’t think anyone would say that it would feel good to have your eye gou-.” Kakashi stopped himself before sighing. “It hurt.”  
Iruka frowned at him. “Don’t worry about it Iruka it happened...A while ago.” He finally ended.  
“Sorry.” The boy said in a quiet voice.  
Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. “Not your fault. I was a stupid kid...It was my fault.”  
Iruka’s eye’s widened upon hearing that. “We’re you ANBU then?”  
“Sorta...It’s complicated.”  
Iruka nodded his head in understanding, he was used to the teen telling him some things and avoiding other seemingly similar questions simply because he couldn’t say everything.  
“Why don’t you just get a glass one?”  
Kakashi snorted. “A glass one?”  
Iruka shrugged. “ A girl in my class, her mom has one.”  
Kakashi chuckled. “I don’t need a glass eye Iruka.”  
The boy frowned. “But wouldn’t it be easier than covering your face all the time?”  
Kakashi stared back at the boy a moment before blandly stating. “I wear a mask Iruka.”  
The boy sighed as he rolled his eyes. Kakashi chuckled at the put out child’s response.  
“Well it’s true.” He countered. “And no it wouldn’t be any easier, besides I-” Kakashi sighed. “I have an eye Iruka.”  
The boy frowned back at him. “But-”  
“It’s complicated.”  
Iruka with a puzzled expression on his face asked. “They let you keep it even though it was hurt?”  
Kakashi shook his head. “It’s not my eye...Well not originally.”  
Iruka’s eyes widened. “You have someone else’s eye?”  
Kakashi nodded his head in a slow manner, afraid of what the boy might think.  
“Cool.”  
Kakashi snorted, he should have figured that Iruka would find that interesting.  
“Is it a different color than your other one?”  
Kakashi coughed as he swallowed wrong, inwardly thinking. ‘just a few shades off’. He chuckled to himself before answering the waiting boy. “Uh yeah it’s a different color.”  
“But it doesn’t work?” Iruka seemed to catch onto the fact that there was no point in getting a new eye if it didn’t work.  
“Uh it works...”  
“Then w-.”  
“Iruka you know how an ANBU has certain secrets? Like our identities?”  
Iruka nodded.  
“I can’t-If I show this eye of mine, people would be able to guess who I was.”  
Iruka’s eyes widened. “Really?”  
Kakashi nodded. “Which is why I keep it covered.” ‘part of the reason.’  
“Oh. That must be hard.”  
“I’m used to it.”  
Iruka frowned back at his ANBU. “But it’s not fair.”  
Kakashi chuckled. “Maybe not, but it is how it is.” He shrugged.  
Iruka huffed earning another chuckle from the ANBU laying beside him.  
“Look it doesn’t matter much Iruka, look at it this way. I can still see which is far better than having a glass eye right?”  
The boy nodded slowly.  
“And if that means that I have to keep it covered when I’m not on a mission then it’s not so bad. Better than being blind in one eye right?”  
Iruka nodded again.  
“So it’s not all bad.” Kakashi tried to get the boy to see what he hoped was a good side to the situation.  
Iruka was quiet a moment, his hand slowly coming up to close over his own eye. Kakashi raised his brow as he watched the boy cover his eye to make himself appear like he did.  
“What are you doing?” He chuckled.  
“Seeing what it’s like.”  
Kakashi snorted. “Okay.” He waited to see how long Iruka would keep up his farce of being blind, the boy tilted his head this way and that to look around the area they were in. He finally settled his sight back on the ANBU who had been patiently waiting.  
“How do you go around the village like this?”  
Kakashi shrugged. “I got used to it.”  
Iruka let his hand fall from his face and blinked the eye he’d had covered repeatedly to get it used to the influx of light once more. “That was...hard.”  
Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. “Lucky I have an eye then huh?”  
Iruka smiled back at him. “Has Raccoon seen it?”  
“Yeah a time or two.” He replied mirthfully. “He wasn’t impressed.”  
“Why not?” Iruka countered.  
“Don’t know.” Kakashi smirked to himself as he shrugged at Iruka. If there was one thing he knew how to do, it was to deflect the boy onto the shadow user and watch the carnage from afar. It was some of the best entertainment he had in the village.  
“Maybe you should ask him.” He egged the boy.  
Iruka smiled at him. “Do you think I’d ever get to see it?”  
Kakashi froze a moment, the secrecy surrounding him and the other ANBU wasn’t something to be trifled with and the chances of Iruka being allowed to know his identity was small. Giving a sigh Kakashi shook his head.  
“doubtful. The hokage has his rules and for good reason.”  
Iruka seemed disheartened to hear that, but a second later he smiled at the teen. “Okay.”  
Kakashi blinked at the pre-genin in surprise, he’d expected pouting or some kind of complaint. Not for the boy to simply except the limitation set before him. “Okay?”  
Iruka nodded his head. “Okay.”  
“Just okay? That’s it?” Kakashi said in bewilderment.  
Iruka giggled at the confused ANBU. “Yeah.”  
Kakashi frowned at the boy. “What are you thinking, I know that face. Your up to something.” He pointed at the pre-genin who looked anything but innocent.  
Iruka shook his head as he laughed.  
“Yeah your guilty. Spill.” Kakashi smirked to himself.  
Iruka smiled at his ANBU. “Himiko taught me something.”  
‘Oh great.’ Kakashi nodded his head. “What did she teach you?”  
“Loop holes.”  
“Loop holes?”  
“If you can’t go in a direct path, if there’s something in the way. You find a way around it.” Iruka said with a smile.  
“Alright.” Kakashi nodded. “And just how are you going to go around the hokage’s orders that no ANBU identities are known?”  
Iruka smiled back at his ANBU. “I don’t have to disobey the hokage to know you.”  
“Okay?” Kakashi said in utter confusion. “Then how are you going to know my identity?”  
Iruka shook his head. “Not just you.” The boy laughed. “Raccoon and Hawk too.”  
Kakashi snorted. “Alright, what is this master plan of yours that would grant you access to our identities.”  
Iruka didn’t even bat an eye as he claimed in a proud tone. “I’ll become an ANBU.”  
Kakashi blinked at the boy who was smiling broadly at him. Truth be told that was a loop hole, ANBU knew other ANBU and if somehow down the road Iruka became an ANBU he would be allowed to know their identities.  
“Wolf?” Iruka asked carefully, afraid that his ANBU was going to react poorly to his grand idea when the teen didn’t immediately respond.  
Jolting back to what was going on in the present Kakashi sighed. “Well...That is a loop hole.”  
Iruka beamed at the ANBU.  
“But.” Kakashi started causing Iruka to frown as he waited to hear why he couldn’t do that. “But-It’s going to take years of hard training and it would mean you’d have to rank up from genin to chunin and from chunin to jounin and then-”  
“I can do it!” Iruka cut him off. “ I’ll work hard and get promoted.”  
Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. “ Sure your up to the task?” He taunted.  
“Yes.” Iruka replied haughtily.  
“Okay.”  
Iruka blinked at him. “Okay?”  
Kakashi chuckled. “Okay.” He nodded.  
Iruka smiled back at him. “Will you help?”  
Kakashi laughed. “Why don’t we focus on getting you through school first eh?”  
Iruka thought about it a moment before countering. “If I graduate this year, you have to help me become ANBU.”  
Kakashi laughed. “Are you trying to bet me?”  
Iruka gave a sharp nod.  
“Alright and if you don’t graduate? What do I get then?” He countered just to see what the boy would do.  
Iruka frowned a moment, he’d already been held back once. Being held back again would be horrible. Kakashi shook his head. “Don’t worry about it kid, your going to pass.”  
Iruka shook his head. “No. If-If I don’t graduate this year then...Then you can.-”  
Kakashi sighed as he watched the boy wrack his brain for something that he could barter with, when the boy was having trouble Kakashi intervened.  
“IF you fail to graduate this year, then I get to put you through a endurance course.”  
Iruka blinked. “Huh?”  
“An endurance course, a course that will test you to the limits. It’s a good way to push your boundaries, a lot of shinobi do it when they’re preparing to advance in rank. So if you fail to graduate then I get to put you through one and see how you do.”  
Iruka smiled. “Okay.”  
“It’d be hard work.” Kakashi told the boy with no hesitation. “A lot of shinobi drop out of them.”  
Iruka shook his head. “I can do it.”  
Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. ‘I know you can.’ “Alright then.” He held out his gloved hand to the boy, Iruka smiled back as he took hold and they shook. “You have yourself a deal Iruka.”  
The pre-genin laughed in excitement. “I’m gonna graduate.”  
“You are and then we can work on your training to become a chunin.”  
Iruka nodded his head. “I’ve heard about the exam. Our sensei told us about it.”  
“It’s different each year, he was probably telling you about his.”  
Iruka’s face morphed into an ‘O’ Shape. “Really?”  
“Yep, it’s so the previous years students can’t help the newcomer’s cheat.”  
“Oh.”  
“Your test will be something different and you’ll have challenges to face that previous years might not have faced before.”  
Iruka thought about it a moment before giving a nod. “If you help me...I can do it.”  
Kakashi snorted as he shook his head. “You don’t need me Iruka, you could do it all on your own.”  
Iruka started to shake his head, but Kakashi cut him off. “But I’ll be there anyways. Raccoon too, we might even be able to cajole Hawk into helping.”  
Iruka smiled. “Awesome.”  
Kakashi laughed. He couldn’t wait to tell the other ANBU all about the deal he’d just made with the pre-genin, he was sure they’d get a kick out of it. Well until he told them how he’d kinda volunteered them to help that is. Oh well he’d deal with that later.  
“So you ready to head back and start your training?”  
Iruka nodded eagerly and rose from the grass, Kakashi followed close behind. The pair dusted themselves off of the grass clinging to them. Iruka beamed up at the ANBU.  
“What?”  
“I caught you.” The boy pointed down to the ANBU’s still ensnared ankle.  
Kakashi glanced down and sighed, giving a shake of his head he bent over and undid the snare. Holding up the wire for the boy to see Kakashi replied. “And we learned that startling ANBU is a no-no didn’t we?”  
Iruka sighed. “Yes.”  
“Good. Now let’s go back to the clearing and I’ll show you how to really snare someone.”  
Iruka smiled at him and ran off ahead. Kakashi chuckled, he knew the kid was eager enough to learn that he’d forget who would be the test subject for the lesson. Shrugging his shoulders the ANBU trailed off after the pre-genin swinging the small length of wire in his hand. Kakashi mentally assured himself that Iruka would pass this year and he’d begin the real journey to becoming a shinobi. If he was lucky, Kakashi might have time to find a way to waylay the boy into becoming an ANBU. He couldn’t bring himself to tell the boy no on the subject, but a part of him couldn’t bare the thought of Iruka becoming like him. Iruka was too good fro the likes of ANBU and it would ruin him, something that Kakashi wasn’t about to let happen. He’d see the boy through the ranks, but when it came to ANBU...Well Kakashi would have to think of something because he’d be damned if he was responsible for someone as light as Iruka became overtaken by the darkness ANBU brewed in it’s members.  
“Hurry up Wolf!”  
Chuckling to himself Kakashi shook his head and sped up his pace. He still had years to think up a good reason for the boy to stay out of the ANBU corps, for now he’d just focus his time on lassoing the boy a few dozen times to wear him down. Smirking to himself he called back to the boy.  
“Be right there.”  
Twirling the wire around in his hand he let himself think up how many different ways he could trap the boy before Iruka called him a cheater.


End file.
